Monthly Archives: March 2011
Stryper – The Covering
Stryper – The Covering (2011, Big3 Records)
1. “Set Me Free” … 3:45
2. “Blackout” … 3:58
3. “Heaven and Hell” … 6:11
4. “Lights Out” … 3:44
5. “Carry On Wayward Son” … 5:16
6. “Highway Star” … 5:45
7. “Shout It Out Loud” … 3:15
8. “Over the Mountain” … 4:21
9. “The Trooper” … 3:53
10. “Breaking the Law” … 3:02
11. “On Fire” … 3:08
12. “Immigrant Song” … 2:18
13. “God” … 4:55
Band:
Michael Sweet – Lead Vocals, Guitar, Backing Vocals
Oz Fox – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Timothy Gaines – Bass, Backing Vocals
Robert Sweet – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Charles Foley – Keyboards, Organ, Piano
Producer: Michael Sweet
And Stryper continues their trend for having AWFUL album covers. =P
Luckily, the album art is not a good indicator of the music itself because this is seriously one great album of covers! When I first heard it was going to be a cover album, I kind of rolled my eyes. That’s usually a sign that a band is slowing down and/or giving up on new material but then they started releasing all these samples and they sounded amazing. I guess the band has caught some flack from their Christian fanbase for having the gall to cover secular music and evil bands such as Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and KISS but whatever. Get over yourselves! Christian acts don’t need to be singing about God & Jesus in every single song. Just because you want to cover Van Halen and Scorpions it doesn’t mean you’ve turned your back on the Lord.
Anyway, what a great line-up of bands to cover! In order, they are: Sweet, Scorpions, Black Sabbath, UFO, Kansas, Deep Purple, KISS, Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Van Halen and Led Zeppelin. The only original song of the bunch is “God” which is a fantastic hard rocker that just doesn’t let up and gives me hope that maybe the band will put out an entirely new and original album later this year.
It was Murder By Pride that pulled me onto the Stryper bandwagon. That was a very good album. Sometimes a veteran act seems to be going through the motions even when they release new material but that wasn’t the case then and even though the band is covering songs here, they still sound energetic and on fire. ”God” gives me hope that maybe the band will put out an entirely new and original album later this year because they are on a roll.
The band stays pretty faithful to the source material only making slight alterations here and there but these are some killer covers. “Blackout” and “Lights Out” are pure fire and it’s interesting to hear Michael Sweet vocals on these songs. I think he’s got a unique singing style and it’s interesting hearing him find some middle ground between his own style and the styles in which these songs were originally sung.
One of the better cover albums I’ve heard. Essential pickup for 2011.
Highlights: “Set Me Free”, “Blackout”, “Lights Out”, “Shout It Out Loud”, “On Fire”, “God”
Motorhead – The World Is Yours
Motorhead – The World Is Yours [Bonus DVD] (2011, UDR/Motorhead Music)
1. “Born to Lose” … 4:01
2. “I Know How to Die” … 3:19
3. “Get Back In Line” … 3:35
4. “Devils In My Head” … 4:21
5. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music” … 4:25
6. “Waiting For The Snake” … 3:41
7. “Brotherhood Of Man” … 5:15
8. “Outlaw” … 3:30
9. “I Know What You Need” … 2:58
10. “Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye” … 4:04
Bonus DVD: Live at Wacken 2006
1. “Doctor Rock”
2. “Love Me Like A Reptile”
3. “Killers”
4. “In The Name Of Tragedy”
5. “Dancing On Your Grave”
6. “Fast And Loose”
Band:
Lemmy Kilmister – Vocals, Bass
Philip Campbell – Guitar
Mikkey Dee – Drums
Producer: Cameron Webb
While I enjoyed Motorizer at the time of its release, in hindsight I don’t think the album is anything great. So when The World Is Yours was announced, it wasn’t something I was incredibly excited for but I still planned on picking it up. There’s been a lot of buzz regarding this album with many sources saying this is Motorhead’s time to shine. While I’m not quite sure I agree that the world belongs to Motorhead at this moment, this is certainly a fine album to release with so many eyes upon the band and Lemmy thanks to the Lemmy documentary. In some editions, there is a bonus DVD featuring six songs from the band’s performance at Wacken in 2006.
This album has definitely grabbed me more than Motorizer did. There just seems to be more energy this time around even though the album is still the same ol’ mix of heavy metal, punk and rock ‘n’ roll that the band has been putting out for decades. The album opens with the roaring “Born To Lose”, a perfectly titled Motorhead song if there ever was one. Other highlights are “Get Back In Line”, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music” and “Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye” all of which display some ol’ fashioned blues-based rock ‘n’ roll. My favorite song out of the bunch is the sinister and powerful sounding “Brotherhood Of Man” which reminds me of Metallica in a way.
What can I say? If Motorhead has never worked for you before, they probably won’t now but 65 years into his life Lemmy is still putting out great rock ‘n’ roll and I can’t imagine Motorhead being disappointed with The World Is Yours! He’s a true icon in the music business.
Highlights: “Born To Lose”, “Get Back In Line”, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music”, “Waiting For The Snake”, “Brotherhood Of Man”, “Bye Bye Bitch Bye Bye”
http://www.imotorhead.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Motorhead/8079594657
